Of all the modern heroines of the faith, Corrie ten Boom has been the most inspiring to me. When her book, The Hiding Place was published in the 1970s, Corrie’s story of heroism during WWII became renowned worldwide. She had already been honored as Righteous Among the Nations by the state of Israel for hiding Jews and helping approximately 800 survive. While securing the freedom for so many, Corrie and her sister, Betsie, in their 50s, and her 84 year old father were all taken prisoner and sent to concentration camps.
For those unfamiliar with Corrie’s story, she grew up in Holland in the early 1900s in a family of strong Christians. The details of their life in the city of Haarlem (outside of Amsterdam) are filled with the personalities of her remarkable parents and three aunts all nestled in what Corrie called the Beje, their home above the watch shop the family had run for 100 years. Corrie’s life has often been referenced through the years, sharing lessons from the faith of this amazing family.
Yet a significant part of Corrie’s story is one that is usually overlooked. It may be surprising to learn that when young, Corrie was a romantic. If she liked a romance novel, she would read it in Dutch, English and German. She met a young man who captivated her heart. She tells of their growing relationship over years and how she pinned all her future hopes on him. But she was warned by her family that this young man was not free to marry someone from Corrie’s working class background. Yet Corrie believed all would turn out as she hoped for her and this gentleman, that is until the day he came to their home to introduce the ten Boom family to his fiancée.
After the short visit, Corrie fled to her room, crushed by the loss of her love, and somehow certain that there would be no other love for her. Corrie’s father, Casper, was able to comfort her with words so tender and so very wise, how God could redeem the love she had lost into something better. It was at this moment she prayed her “enormous prayer” asking God to help her relinquish her lost love and her future plans to God’s care.
It seems the most perfect prayer of surrender a wounded heart could offer the Lord. This hard moment in her life also gave her the keys to the role she was called to during the war.
Later in life Corrie said, “I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do.” Her prayer of surrender equipped her for action as she was a major leader in protecting the Jews of Holland. In the German concentration camp, Ravensbruck, she and Betsie held daily prayer times, seeking God’s healing for the prisoners, the guards, for Germany and the world. No prayer was too small or too big.
One additional aspect of Corrie’s time at Ravensbruck reveals how she often struggled with anger and selfishness, while Betsie always exhibited the most selfless, loving care for others. Her words always encouraged Corrie to abide in God, for “His will is our hiding place.” Each day in the camp was an opportunity to grow in their faith and in gratitude for what God was doing in their lives. Their sisterhood and their service to God are incomparable.
After the war, some of Corrie’s greatest prayers were not for particular needs, but for the ability to forgive those who had reported the ten Boom family for hiding Jews, sending them to the death camps. With God’s help, and because she had lived a life of surrender, Corrie was finally able to forgive those individuals face to face.
Corrie’s prayer of the surrender of her will to God’s purposes reaches deep in my heart. It inspires me to pray to surrender my will on a daily basis. It prompts me to ask God to use me to serve others. And it challenges me to have the courage to offer my own enormous prayer, trusting God for the answer.
About the Blogger:
Linnea Tideman has always enjoyed sharing stories. Her childhood in New Hampshire and her Swedish heritage have provided her with a wealth of experiences, but also the foundation of her faith. She enjoys creative projects, travel, books, sewing, gardening, but most of all hospitality, often hosting fancy teas and occasionally something grand like recreating dinner on the Titanic. She serves the UrbanPromise and Good Neighbors ministries. Linnea lives in Landenberg with her husband Dave. They have three grown daughters. She hopes that her writing reflects how God continues to reveal Himself to us as our shepherd and Savior.